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MIAMI (Reuters) Florida Governor Rick Scott has suspended an order requiring all state workers undergo drug testing, pending resolution of a lawsuit that called the tests an illegal search of workers' bodies.
The Republican governor quietly signed the suspension memo on June 10 but it received little public notice until the American Civil Liberties Union obtained and circulated copies on Thursday.
The ACLU sued Scott last month in a federal court. It said mandating drug tests for workers who were not suspected of wrongdoing violated their constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizure, and robbed them of due process.
"We are pleased that this new order has delayed subjecting thousands of state employees to demeaning, invasive and illegal tests of their bodily fluids," Randall Marshall, legal director for the ACLU of Florida, said in a statement.
"But it does not change our Constitutional challenge. Any government search without suspicion of drug use or not directly related to public safety is a violation of privacy protections and we will vigorously move ahead with our challenge."
Scott, who campaigned on a promise of small and limited government, signed an executive order in March requiring state workers to undergo screening for illegal drugs once every three months. It also required pre-employment testing for state job applicants.
The ACLU characterized the suspension as a massive and embarrassing retreat for Scott and an acknowledgment that his testing order was fatally flawed.
OF COURSE SCOTT WILL DEFEND THIS; OTHERWISE HIS "WIFE'S CLINICS" STAND TO LOOSE MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF DOLLARS DOING THE TESTING!
Florida has just under 168,000 state employees, including just over 105,000 in the executive branch. For Rick Scott, that means nearly 170,000 new potential customers for his sorry, his wifes Solantic walk-in clinics.
Scotts newest scheme, which will help him turn a profit from his $70 million investment in becoming a one-term Florida governor, would be genius if it werent so darned evil. Fresh off his plan to drug test welfare recipients in the state, compounding what for many people is an embarrassing experience, having to take public assistance, Scott now plans to visit the same humiliation on state workers. You know, the ones who havent had a raise in four years and who are about the have their unions shredded and their pensions hollowed out by the right wing legislature.
So what (more) can bald do to you, state worker?
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Rick Scott has announced a new policy of administering drug tests to all applicants for employment in state agencies controlled by the governors office, and random drug testing of current employees.
In an executive order issued Tuesday, Scott directed the agencies under his control to implement the policy within 60 days. He said it should provide for the potential for any employee to be tested at least quarterly, including senior management.
But the ACLU of Florida said Scotts order attempts to resurrect a policy previously found unconstitutional by a federal judge in a 2004
Howard Simon, ACLU executive director, said in a statement Tuesday, The state of Florida cannot force people to surrender their constitutional rights in order to work for the state. Absent any evidence of illegal drug use, or assigned a safety-sensitive job, people have a right to be left alone.
Coming from a Governor who promised to protect our freedoms by limiting the intrusive reach of government into our personal lives, this massive expansion of government power at the expense of basic rights is stunning and exposes the state to serious future legal liability.
Scott has generated some controversy by proposing that recipients of welfare and unemployment be tested for drug use.
Critics say that idea is too expensive and impractical, but on Tuesday, a Senate committee moved forward a drug testing bill applying to welfare recipients.
Scott, in a statement praising the Senate committee and announcing his executive order defended both actions.
Floridians deserve to know that those in public service, whose salaries are paid with taxpayer dollars, are part of a drug-free workplace, Scott said in a statement.
And how will Floridians get that information? Who has the wherewithal to carry out the drug testing of state employees on a random basis, or when any are crazy enough to apply for a job working for Gollums kingdom?
Solantic. Beauuuutiful Solantic. (It was all about greed and profit for that GOP Swine) signal
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article1161158.ece
Lets hear it for the ACLU!!!
https://secure.aclu.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=ACLU_Email_SignUp&s_subsrc=SEM-g-evg-s-acluname_ACLU_e_5824708102
The Republican governor quietly signed the suspension memo on June 10 but it received little public notice until the American Civil Liberties Union obtained and circulated copies on Thursday.
The ACLU sued Scott last month in a federal court. It said mandating drug tests for workers who were not suspected of wrongdoing violated their constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizure, and robbed them of due process.
"We are pleased that this new order has delayed subjecting thousands of state employees to demeaning, invasive and illegal tests of their bodily fluids," Randall Marshall, legal director for the ACLU of Florida, said in a statement.
"But it does not change our Constitutional challenge. Any government search without suspicion of drug use or not directly related to public safety is a violation of privacy protections and we will vigorously move ahead with our challenge."
Scott, who campaigned on a promise of small and limited government, signed an executive order in March requiring state workers to undergo screening for illegal drugs once every three months. It also required pre-employment testing for state job applicants.
The ACLU characterized the suspension as a massive and embarrassing retreat for Scott and an acknowledgment that his testing order was fatally flawed.
OF COURSE SCOTT WILL DEFEND THIS; OTHERWISE HIS "WIFE'S CLINICS" STAND TO LOOSE MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF DOLLARS DOING THE TESTING!
Florida has just under 168,000 state employees, including just over 105,000 in the executive branch. For Rick Scott, that means nearly 170,000 new potential customers for his sorry, his wifes Solantic walk-in clinics.
Scotts newest scheme, which will help him turn a profit from his $70 million investment in becoming a one-term Florida governor, would be genius if it werent so darned evil. Fresh off his plan to drug test welfare recipients in the state, compounding what for many people is an embarrassing experience, having to take public assistance, Scott now plans to visit the same humiliation on state workers. You know, the ones who havent had a raise in four years and who are about the have their unions shredded and their pensions hollowed out by the right wing legislature.
So what (more) can bald do to you, state worker?
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Rick Scott has announced a new policy of administering drug tests to all applicants for employment in state agencies controlled by the governors office, and random drug testing of current employees.
In an executive order issued Tuesday, Scott directed the agencies under his control to implement the policy within 60 days. He said it should provide for the potential for any employee to be tested at least quarterly, including senior management.
But the ACLU of Florida said Scotts order attempts to resurrect a policy previously found unconstitutional by a federal judge in a 2004
Howard Simon, ACLU executive director, said in a statement Tuesday, The state of Florida cannot force people to surrender their constitutional rights in order to work for the state. Absent any evidence of illegal drug use, or assigned a safety-sensitive job, people have a right to be left alone.
Coming from a Governor who promised to protect our freedoms by limiting the intrusive reach of government into our personal lives, this massive expansion of government power at the expense of basic rights is stunning and exposes the state to serious future legal liability.
Scott has generated some controversy by proposing that recipients of welfare and unemployment be tested for drug use.
Critics say that idea is too expensive and impractical, but on Tuesday, a Senate committee moved forward a drug testing bill applying to welfare recipients.
Scott, in a statement praising the Senate committee and announcing his executive order defended both actions.
Floridians deserve to know that those in public service, whose salaries are paid with taxpayer dollars, are part of a drug-free workplace, Scott said in a statement.
And how will Floridians get that information? Who has the wherewithal to carry out the drug testing of state employees on a random basis, or when any are crazy enough to apply for a job working for Gollums kingdom?
Solantic. Beauuuutiful Solantic. (It was all about greed and profit for that GOP Swine) signal
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article1161158.ece
Lets hear it for the ACLU!!!
https://secure.aclu.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=ACLU_Email_SignUp&s_subsrc=SEM-g-evg-s-acluname_ACLU_e_5824708102
